Why read this: A2 students need short, clear non-fiction that has one main worry and one or two simple causes. This article gives them just that. The big question is easy to remember: are good grades really getting easier? The article gives a clear yes-and-no answer, with simple reasons. Students learn that the same number can mean two different things, depending on why it went up. They also see how a writer can correct a wrong idea about schools, in friendly everyday language.
What to notice: Notice the question in the title and how the article comes back to it at the end. Watch for the word 'but' at the start of a paragraph. The 'but' tells you the writer is changing direction. Notice the simple cause and effect: more students apply, the same number of seats, so the cut-off grade goes up. Notice also the bell curve paragraph, where the writer says 'this is not a rule'. That is the writer telling you that a popular idea is wrong.
Skills practised: Reading short non-fiction about a school topic; finding the main idea in a paragraph; matching a cause to an effect in simple sentences; using 'but' as a signal that the writer is changing direction; and understanding when a writer says 'this is not true' to correct a wrong idea.
"Are good grades really getting easier?"
"Many people in Canada think students get higher marks than before. Is this really true?"
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
Many news stories in Canada say that students get higher grades than before. People worry that an A is too easy now. This is called . The worry is that a high mark today does not really mean what it used to mean.
It is true that grades are higher. At Harvard University, the average grade has gone up almost every year since the 1950s. So this is not a new problem. After the COVID-19 pandemic, grades went up even more. Schools were closed. Big tests were cancelled. Teachers were kinder when they marked students' work, because students had hard problems at home.
But there is something we should know. The grade you need to get into a Canadian university is also higher now. This is for a different reason. Many more students want to go to university. There are not enough places for all of them. So the lowest grade you need to get in goes up. This is just because there are too many students for too few places. It is not because teachers mark too easily.
There are also good reasons why grades may really be higher. More students finish high school now than before. When more students pass, the average grade goes up. Teachers also use better ways of teaching now. Many teachers have learned new methods that help students learn more.
Some people think teachers must give a few As, many Bs, and a few Cs in every class. They think this is a rule. This is the idea of the . But it is not a rule in Canadian schools. Teachers can give an A to every student in a class, if all the students do excellent work.
So should we worry about grade inflation? The honest answer is that we do not know yet. We need more new research about Canadian schools. But we should not always think that a higher grade is a bad sign. Sometimes higher grades just mean that students are learning more, and that teachers are doing a better job.
Many news stories in Canada say that students get higher grades than before. People worry that an A is too easy now. This is called . The worry is that a high mark today does not really mean what it used to mean.
It is true that grades are higher. At Harvard University, the average grade has gone up almost every year since the 1950s. So this is not a new problem. After the COVID-19 pandemic, grades went up even more. Schools were closed. Big tests were cancelled. Teachers were kinder when they marked students' work, because students had hard problems at home.
But there is something we should know. The grade you need to get into a Canadian university is also higher now. This is for a different reason. Many more students want to go to university. There are not enough places for all of them. So the lowest grade you need to get in goes up. This is just because there are too many students for too few places. It is not because teachers mark too easily.
There are also good reasons why grades may really be higher. More students finish high school now than before. When more students pass, the average grade goes up. Teachers also use better ways of teaching now. Many teachers have learned new methods that help students learn more.
Some people think teachers must give a few As, many Bs, and a few Cs in every class. They think this is a rule. This is the idea of the . But it is not a rule in Canadian schools. Teachers can give an A to every student in a class, if all the students do excellent work.
So should we worry about grade inflation? The honest answer is that we do not know yet. We need more new research about Canadian schools. But we should not always think that a higher grade is a bad sign. Sometimes higher grades just mean that students are learning more, and that teachers are doing a better job.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What is grade inflation?
- 02
Why is the grade you need to enter a Canadian university higher now?
- 03
What does the article say about teachers and the bell curve in Canada?
- 04
Name two reasons why grades in Canada may be higher today than before.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
Describe what the bell curve is, and explain what the article says about it.
Suggested length: ~50 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
What is grade inflation?
- 02
Why is the grade you need to enter a Canadian university higher now?
- 03
What does the article say about teachers and the bell curve in Canada?
- 04
Name two reasons why grades in Canada may be higher today than before.
Suggested length: ~50 words
- 05
Describe what the bell curve is, and explain what the article says about it.
Suggested length: ~50 words